


Warm Waters

by CaptainLeBubbles



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: (very light), Betrothal Necklace (Avatar), Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Parallel Storylines
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:47:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24394498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainLeBubbles/pseuds/CaptainLeBubbles
Summary: So, between them, which of Zuko and Sokka would make the other a betrothal necklace?Trick question. The answer, of course, isboth.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), mentions of Hakoda/Bato
Comments: 20
Kudos: 1195





	Warm Waters

**Author's Note:**

> Rewatched Avatar, rediscovered my deep abiding love for Zukka, decided to write about them being dumb but, like, in a romantic way.
> 
> Also, while it's only tangentially related, this fic does assume Sokka managed to get his sword back at some point. Not too hard, just had to remember where he dropped it and find where it landed.
> 
> I'm putting the boys in their early twenties for this- long enough for them to separate and stabilize from their previous relationships before forming their own and _then_ letting that one last long enough for them to decide to get married.

“What was I THINKING?!”

Hearing shouting, Katara pushed open the door to her brother’s room just in time for something small to whiz past her head and clunk against the corridor wall; in the room, Sokka heaved a dramatic huff and hurled himself facedown on his bed. Concern furrowing her brow, Katara turned and picked up the thing he’d thrown before letting herself into the room and shutting the door behind her.

“A betrothal necklace?”

“It’s supposed to be,” came the muffled reply, and then Sokka sat up and added, “It looks like something Momo would make.” Sokka huffed, and hugged his knees to him. “I don’t know what I was thinking. I can’t expect Zuko to wear something like this.

“It’s certainly… unique,” Katara said hesitantly, and came over to sit beside her brother. “But, your uniqueness is one of the things Zuko loves about you.”

“I wanted to make it more of a Fire Nation style. Something that would… actually, never mind, it’s stupid.”

He flopped over again, so Katara left him to sulk while she inspected the necklace.

It wasn’t…  _ that _ bad. True, it was clearly inexpertly made- Sokka was a brilliant inventor and had learned a lot about crafting weapons and machines, but this sort of crafting was simply not one of his strong suits. But it was clear what it was meant to be, and she hadn’t been lying, it was  _ unique. _ There had never been nor ever would be a betrothal necklace like this one again.

For one, the band that would hold it in place was a brilliant scarlet, and the stone was black- unless she missed her guess, it had come from the same meteorite as Sokka’s sword. That explained his recent visit to Piandao, at least.

There were marks carved onto the stone, though they were hard to read. A curve at the top, several squiggly lines at the bottom. She traced them carefully, trying to pin down what they were meant to be.

“Tell me.”

Sokka sighed and sat up, and took the necklace from her. “Zuko is under a lot of pressure as the Fire Lord. He has advisors and a council, he has us and he has Iroh, but as the Fire Lord he stands alone. But when we’re married… he won’t be. I’ll be there. His joy becomes my joy, his burdens become my burdens. I wanted him to have something that would remind him of that- something that he’d always know I’d be there with him, no matter what. It’s meant to be… a union. Zuko and Sokka, Sokka and Zuko. Both of us together. We’re a team now.”

“Sokka, that’s beautiful.”

“Yeah, well, it doesn’t matter. I can’t give Zuko this monstrosity.”

“You  _ should.” _ She pressed the necklace into his hand. “And tell him what you just told me when you do. Sokka, Zuko  _ loves _ you. He’ll love this, too.”

“You think?”

“I like to think I know him pretty well by now.”

Sokka seemed hesitant, staring down at the necklace in his hand, and then his fist closed around it and he grinned. “You know what? You’re right! I’m going to go find him and give it to him now!” He leapt to his feet and leaned over to kiss her forehead before taking off at a run, nearly colliding with the wall on his way out, the words, “Thanks, sis- see you later!” trailing behind him and fading into the corridor.

-/-

“This was such a stupid idea.”

Mai leaned on the end of Zuko’s desk and watched with a passive mask as he paced his office, muttering angrily at himself and stopping occasionally to kick the furniture Toph had reinforced with stone or throw a fireball at the water feature Katara had installed, both for exactly such a purpose.

The show eventually grew boring. Mai turned her attention to the object of Zuko’s ire instead, an ornate box carved from bone sitting on the center of his desk. With no interest in respecting his privacy, she popped it open to inspect the contents.

There was a necklace inside. It was for Sokka, obviously- the band alone gave that away. It was a deep blue, with silver threads woven through it that gave the impression of waves crashing against the surface of the sea.

A reddish-orange stone hung from it, carved into a wobbly, spiky circle, with three jagged lines chiseled across its surface. Evocative of something, but the shape and the carvings were so poorly done that it was hard to tell what was deliberate and what was just bad craftsmanship.

“Why did you get Momo to make Sokka’s betrothal necklace?”

Around the room, the flames of several candles spiked, licking the edges of the protective glass cylinders Sokka had given him to put around them, then died back down immediately as Zuko rounded on her with a glare.

“Momo didn’t make it, I did.”

“Why? I thought betrothal necklaces were supposed to be given at the start of the betrothal, not three weeks before the wedding.”

“Look, I didn’t think about it at the time, okay?” He huffed, and moved over to collapse into his desk chair. “I wish I had. It would have meant so much more if I could have given him a betrothal necklace at the right time.”

“Better late than never, but that doesn’t explain  _ why _ you’re giving him one at all. He’s the one from the Water Tribe- shouldn’t he be giving you one of these?”

“That’s exactly  _ why _ I made it for him.” Zuko leaned forward and pillowed his arms on his desk, staring into a burn mark on the wood. “Sokka isn’t just marrying some run of the mill Fire Nation citizen- he’s marrying the  _ Fire Lord. _ He’s marrying the ruler of an entirely different country and giving up so much of his culture to do so. I just wanted to do something to show him he doesn’t have to give up  _ everything _ . That being Sokka, Prince Consort to the Fire Lord doesn’t mean he has to stop being Sokka, of the Southern Water Tribe.”

He raised his head and looked at the necklace in her hands, then looked away with a heated huff.

“But I can’t give him that. He’ll think I’m making fun of him, of his culture. I’m better off not saying anything.”

“That’s stupid.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“It is, though. You put a lot of thought and care into this. That’s the part that will matter, not whether it’s good.” She held it up, letting the stone catch the light. “Besides, I’m sure there are plenty of bad betrothal necklaces out there. If the quality of the finished product was the part that mattered, the only people who would get married would be the ones who were good at making jewelry.”

“You think?”

“Sokka loves you. He wouldn’t be marrying you if he didn’t.” And then added, as an afterthought, “Besides, his dad used a second-hand betrothal necklace, didn’t he? At least you bothered to make one.”

Zuko fell silent at that, staring at the necklace she was still holding up, almost hypnotized by the swinging motion, and then brightened. “You’re right,” he said, nearly happy. “Not about Hakoda, I mean, I think that was for sentimental reasons, I mean, you’re right about the necklace. It’s not very good but I made it and- that means something, I think.”

He stood and grabbed the necklace from her, then gave her a quick peck on the cheek before taking off. “Thanks, Mai, I owe you one!”

-/-

Katara gave Sokka a few minutes in case he came back, and left as well: she was just closing the door to his room when Zuko came barreling down the corridor, skidding to a halt and nearly crashing into her. She caught and steadied him with practiced ease.

“Slow down, Zuko, where’s the fire?” And then reconsidered her words, and added, “Or whatever’s got you so excited.”

“Have you seen Sokka? I have something for him.”

“You just missed him, he went to find you.”

Zuko considered where Sokka might look, and, “He probably went to my chambers, then, he would have passed me if he went to the study. Thanks Katara- if you see him, tell him I’m looking for him.”

“Sure.” Katara folded her arms in front of her, amused, and watched as Zuko hurried off in search of her brother. Once he was safely away, she buried a giggle in her hands. Those two really  _ were _ perfect for each other.

-/-

Mai set the ornate box on Zuko’s dresser and turned to leave just in time to stop Sokka hitting the floor when he crashed through the door. She set him on his feet, the smallest hint of a small ghosting her lips.

“Hello, Sokka. Looking for Zuko?”

“Yeah, I have to give him something. Know where he is?”

“He just ran off looking for you, actually.”

“Hmm.” Sokka ran a quick mental rundown of where Zuko would check, and said, “I just came from my bedroom and didn’t see him there, so he probably went to my workroom. Thanks Mai- by the way, what are you doing in Zuko’s room?”

“He left something in his study,” she said vaguely, turning him away with a loop of her arm through his, steering him through the door before he could see the box and guess what Zuko was up to. “If I see him, I’ll let him know you’re looking.”

“You’re the best, Mai!”

He hurried off without a backward glance, and only after he was gone did Mai allow the full smile to show- small, but absolutely genuine, and completely fond. Those two were  _ really _ perfect together.

-/-

Sokka wasn’t in Zuko’s bedroom when he checked, though the box was on his dresser when he came in- Mai’s doing, probably. He set the necklace back in its box and decided to go to the tearoom next. Sokka might check there for him first, since he tended to take tea with Uncle in the afternoons.

-/-

Sokka didn’t find Zuko in the workroom, which in hindsight he was glad of- he tended not to clean up much when he was working on something, and the place looked like a herd of cat-buffalo had stampeded through. A moment’s consideration sent him to the kitchen instead, in case Zuko assumed he was off getting a snack or chatting with one of the many cooks he’d befriended.

-/-

Iroh hadn’t seen Sokka when Zuko asked. He did invite his nephew to sit down and have a cup of tea with him, when he saw that he was agitated about something. Zuko considered turning him down, and then sat anyway. He was losing his nerve, and Uncle was good at helping him get it back.

“I’m trying to find Sokka so I can give him this,” Zuko said quietly, and passed over the necklace.

Iroh looked at it, nodded, took a sip of his tea, and nodded again. “Did you get Momo to make this?”

“Uncle! I made it my _ self _ !”

“Of course you did. It’s very good.”

“But you just said-”

“I was teasing you, Zuko.” He took a sip of his tea, and winked. “Why don’t you try looking in your private garden? I am sure you will find what you’re looking for there.”

Zuko tilted his head, trying to figure out what his uncle was hinting, and then gave up and just nodded his acknowledgement before leaving.

If Uncle Iroh thought Zuko would find Sokka in their garden, he would look in their garden.

-/-

Several minutes earlier, Sokka staggered panting into the kitchen at the same time Iroh was leaving with his tea tray.

“Uncle Iroh! Have you seen Zuko anywhere?”

“No, I haven’t, though it’s nearly time for tea and he usually joins me.”

Sokka sighed, and pointed a frustrated yell at the ceiling. Iroh waited with practiced patience for his soon-to-be nephew-in-law to finish so they could carry on their conversation.

“Mai said he was looking for me,” Sokka finally said. “And I’ve been looking for him, too.” He sighed and flopped down to sit on the floor. “I must have run all over the palace by now and I still can’t find him.”

“Why is it so important to find him? Is something wrong?”

“No, I just… want to give him this before I lose my nerve.” He held out the necklace for Iroh to see. Iroh leaned close to inspect it.

“Why did Momo make my nephew a betrothal necklace?”

“Ah?!” Sokka buried his face in his arms. “You’re right, it’s terrible. I’m an idiot.”

“Wait, wait- Sokka, please, I was just teasing you! It’s a wonderful gift, and I am  _ certain _ Zuko will love it!”

Iroh sighed, and pried Sokka’s arms apart so he could pull him to his feet. “Why don’t you go wait in your private garden, and I’ll find Zuko and send him to meet you? That way you don’t have to keep missing each other.”

Sokka sighed and turned to trudge off. “Okay. At least I can find out what he’s looking for me for, I guess. I don’t think I can give him this now. Stupid, what was I thinking…”

-/-

Sokka’s family and the other water tribesmen in the area would be leaving the palace in the morning. Some would be going south, to pick up guests for the wedding; others north, for the same reason. And Sokka would be joining his father and sister on their way to the south pole. There were some pre-wedding traditions Sokka needed to participate in, things a man must do before he marries.

And it would be awhile before he got to go home again after this. Zuko would miss him, but he understood. And he had things he needed to prepare here in the meantime.

Zuko made his way down to the courtyard, where some of their friends in the area were having a bit of a send-off for the family before they left. He paused at the edge of the courtyard, looking around instinctively for Sokka, and smiling when he spotted him with Hakoda and Bato. He was being teased good-naturedly by the looks of it, but when he spotted Zuko their eyes met and he waved before returning to the conversation at hand. He returned the wave, and turned to head over to the refreshment table instead.

Hakoda watched him for a moment, then turned away, leaving his husband and son to way-lay Zuko near the fountain. There was no word exchanged, just a momentary look before both slipped away to an out of the way corner.

“Sokka showed us the betrothal necklace you made him,” Hakoda said, once they were alone. “It was very good.”

Zuko’s eyebrow rose. “You… aren’t going to say it looked like Momo made it?”

Hakoda chuckled. “I’ve seen some pretty shoddy betrothal necklaces in my day, son. It’s never about how well-made they are.” He leaned close and added in a conspiratorial whisper, “You should have seen the one I made for Kya. Now  _ that _ looked like something Momo would make.”

“Didn’t you give your wife your mother’s necklace?”

“Yes. For a very good reason.”

A startled laugh bubbled out of Zuko at the admission. “Seriously?”

“It was  _ really _ bad. Fortunately Bato was the one who proposed this time, so I didn’t have to find another second-hand necklace.” He touched the crescent-shaped bone at his throat with a faintly fond smile, then reached over a rested a hand on Zuko’s shoulder. “I know there’s a lot being said about Sokka marrying into the Fire Nation, but you’ll also be marrying into the Water Tribe. It comes as a relief to know you understand that.”

Zuko looked away, a little embarrassed. “He’s giving up so much for this marriage. I just… wanted him to know he didn’t have to give up his people, too.”

“I’m not giving up anything.” 

They looked up to see Sokka and Bato approaching; Hakoda and Bato exchanged a meaningful look, but Zuko’s eyes went to Sokka’s almost immediately, catching the hand that was held out to him with a smile. Sokka continued.

“It’s true that there are things that will have to change about my way of life, but I’m not giving anything up. My people- my culture- all of those things are still alive and growing out in the world, and even here in the Fire Nation as well. I’m still a part of them- and so are you. I’m not giving anything up, and I’m  _ gaining _ so much more.”

“I never thought of it that way…”

“Well, that’s all right.” Sokka grinned and raised a hand to Zuko’s cheek, waiting for Zuko to lean into his touch before pulling him into a hug. “That’s what I’m here for.”

**Author's Note:**

> Like this? Want to see more? Then hit me up over on tumblr @grifalinas, where you'll find me focusing on the grown up gays and complaining about how pretty Ozai is.


End file.
